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Henry Carter, ( see Birmingham Hangings ) had the distinction of being the last man hanged at Warwick, in 1863. He was also very polite, a rare thing in a murderer. He had, in Birmingham. on the 4th December,1862, shot and killed his girlfriend, Elizabeth Hinkley. Throughout his committal, and subsequent trial, he had maintained that the pistol he was carrying, had discharged accidently. Only on the morning of his exececution, when he saw the size of the crowd, did he finally confess all. Asked if the gun had indeed gone off by accident, he replied that no, it hadn't. It appeared the young lady had found another more suitable lover, and, not wishing to cause a scene, our Henry quietly accepted the situation. He then, he said, shook her hand politely, gave her a very chaste kiss, stepped back, and shot her straight through the head. The evil bought on by jealousy, he told the crowd of over 3,000, had led him to this fate, moreover, a fate he so richly deservered. Well he wasn't wrong about that bit, for as soon as he had spoken the words, the executioner withdrew the bolt, and Henry Carter, or his soul, if he had one, wafted off to whichever place he had a ticket for. My guess is, it would have been a bit charred around the edges.

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